<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><DIV>On Feb 12, 2006, at 2:44 AM, Jack Parkinson wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><FONT face="Arial" size="2"></FONT> <DIV><BR><FONT face="Arial" size="2">----- Original Message ----- <BR>From: spike <BR>For the sake of argument, let us make a thought space<BR>map. Form four quadrants by asking oneself two questions:<BR><BR>A. Were the Danish newspapers right to publish the cartoons?<BR></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV>Funny we don't ask that of the stuff published against others in Muslim countries. There is a lot of hypocrisy here. I think religious cartoons are a good thing myself. They are very different from the blatant hatred published in some Muslim rags.</DIV><DIV><BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV><FONT face="Arial" size="2">B. Were the protesters right to react as they have?<BR><BR></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV>Hell no.</DIV><DIV><BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><FONT face="Arial" size="2"><DIV>Position 3: yes, no. Most journalists will go here, along<BR>with many westerners who are not 1s.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>******Most westerners will/should be here I think, however this position should be tempered by the knowledge that tolerance (free speech) needs to be balanced with respect (sensitivity to the feelings of others). Medieval jesters were permitted to mock the royal personage and burlesque the accepted rules of court - so long as they were witty, satirical, admirable, laughable, wry, and amusing. But they walked a tightrope - gratuitously offensive jesters could face the dungeons - or worse... </DIV> <DIV>In this respect it would perhaps be better to regard free speech as a privilege - something hard-won and not to be senselessly frittered away on trivial indulgence.</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Free speech is all about it being A-OK to very bluntly and publicly disrespect idiocy or it is nothing at all. Free speech is a right, not a privilege. There is no right to have one's idiocy treated with respect.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>- samantha</DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>